Research Overview
The EPES Lab is oriented towards transportation electrification and new energy systems, which facilitates a more sustainable energy structure in communities. We are dedicated to promoting advanced research on Electric Vehicles, eVTOL Aircraft, and Renewable Energy Systems. Major research directions focus on:
(1) AI and Control Techniques for Electrical Motors
(2) Power Converter Topology and Control
(3) Grid-Connection Systems
(4) Battery Management Systems
Electric Vehicle
Railway Systems
Electric Aircraft
Wind Power System with Battery Storage
Research Focuses
Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines and Drives
Permanent magnet synchronous motors are dominant in electric propulsion and wind energy systems due to their high efficiency and power density. Our research works for high-power motor drive applications, such as electric vehicles and eVTOL aircraft.
- Optimal control at full-speed range: from zero-speed, high-speed to six-step operation
- Motor parameter identification techniques: offline identification and online estimation
- Advanced modulation and power converters for high-power applications
- Sensor virtualization techniques: position sensors, current sensors & temperature sensors
- Robotic servo motor control: precise control techniques for high-bandwidth robotics
Rare-Earth-Free Electrical Machines and Drives
Rare-earth materials are used in high-efficiency electrical motors for transportation and renewable energy systems. However, as non-renewable resources, rare-earth materials cause environmental pollution and higher costs, not in line with the law of sustainable technology. Our research focuses on rare-earth-free electrical machine systems to overcome the above issues, with following directions for high efficiency, low torque ripples, and wide speed operation:
- Switched reluctance motors (SRM) & control techniques
- Synchronous reluctance motors & control techniques
- Power converter topology for efficient reluctance drives
Battery Management Systems
Battery-powered electrical machine systems are essential for transportation electrification as the energy source and energy buffer. The battery management system (BMS) works as a central control unit to guarantee safe, accurate, and efficient battery operation in vehicles, aircraft, and energy storage stations. The EPES Lab focuses the research techniques on advanced BMS:
- Battery state monitoring algorithms for State of X (charge, health, energy, power, etc)
- Battery equalizer: power electronics topology and balancing control
- Battery-machine integrated modeling and control
- Retired Battery Detection and Cascaded battery reusage
High-Power Full-Electric Powertrain Systems for EVs and eVTOL Aircraft
EPES Lab conducts research for high-power electric vehicles (EVs) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Research focuses on system integration, modeling, and control for high-power battery management systems, electrical machines and drives, and power converters. The experimental setup has the following components to offer full-electric powertrain testing:
- Peak 100 kW electrical machine dyno testing with 18000 rpm as the maximum speed
- Bi-direction battery simulators and testers
- High-power converter tests in both motoring and generating conditions
- Precise measurement of system efficiency, operating states, and energy conversion
Energy Conversion and Storage in Power Systems
With the development of renewable energy technology, control of new power systems is important for improving power transmission capability. We utilize the most advanced Hardware-in-the-Loop simulation technology to conduct research on modeling, analysis, and control techniques for wind power systems. Specific research areas are:
- Large-scale wind power generator farm: structure, stability, and control
- Hardware-in-loop techniques
- Grid-connected control: grid-forming and grid-following control
Robotic Motor Control for AI-Guided Autonomous Material Research Lab
AI has brought a new paradigm to the preparation of new materials. Through high-throughput robotic material preparation laboratories, massive amounts of data on material preparation formulas are generated, trained and prediction. In this interdisciplinary research, our primary focus is on the study of robotic motor drive systems:
- Precise Motor Control Methods
- Robotic motor state observation
- Data-driven full-life-cycle health prediction
Permanent Magnet Motors (3 and 6-phases)
Reluctance Motor Drives
Arbin Battery Tester and Chambers
100 kW Powertrain Testing Platform
OPRT Hardware-in-loop Testing Setup
Multiple Motor Mechatronics Systems
Research Methodology
As a research lab, we mainly study on following research methodology for solving scientific problems:
(1) Algorithms: artificial intelligence (ML & DL), model prediction, state observers, optimization
(2) Modeling: small/large-signal approximation, linear & nonlinear stability, multi-domain analyses for models
(3) Hardware: power electronics topology derivation, multi-physics field analyses for machines
Research Fund
| Funding Agency | Area |
|---|---|
| National Natural Science Foundation of China, Young Professional Grant 国家自然科学基金青年科学基金 (PI) | Reluctance Motor Control |
| IEEE Foundation, IEEE Myron Zucker Student-Faculty Grant IEEE基金会Myron Zucker师生专项科研基金 (PI) | AI for Motor Drives |
| Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by Chinese Society for Electrical Engineering 中国电机工程学会青年人才托举项目 (PI) | Wind Power Generator |
| International Science and Technology Cooperation Project of Guangdong Province 广东省国际科技合作领域 (PI) | Axial Flux Motor Systems |
| Guangdong-Hong Kong “1+1+1” Joint Funding Program 粤港高校“1+1+1”联合资助计划 (PI) | GaN Semiconductor and applications |
| The Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund of Guangdong Province: NSF General Project 广东省自然科学基金面上项目 (PI) | Wind Power Systems |
| Hunan Province Natural Science Fund, General Project 湖南省自然学科基金面上项目 (Co-PI) | Rail Transit Traction System |
| Guangdong Province University Characteristic Innovation Project 广东省普通高校特色创新项目 (PI) | Wind Power Generator |
| The Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund of Guangdong Province: Youth Fund 广东省基础与应用基础研究粤穗联合青年基金 (PI) | Permanent Magnet Motor Control in EV |
| The Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund of Guangdong Province: Cultivation Project 广东省基础与应用基础研究粤佛联合地区培育基金 (Co-PI) | Permanent Magnet Motor Control in EV |
| Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology, Youth S&T Talent Support Programme 广东省科协青年科技人才培育项目 (PI) | Film-capacitor Motor Drives |
| Young Elite Scientists Sponsorship Program by Guangzhou Association for Science & Technology 广州市科协青年科技人才托举工程项目 (PI) | Permanent Magnet eVTOL Propulsion Systems |
| Guangzhou Municipal Education Bureau, Yangcheng Scholar 广州市教育局羊城学者科研项目 (PI) | eVTOL Powertrain Systems |
| Guangzhou-HKUST(GZ) Joint Funding Scheme, Basic and Applied Basic Research Project 广州市校（院）企联合资助 (PI) | Reluctance Motor Control in EV |
| Guangzhou Basic and Applied Basic Research Project, General Fund 广州市基础与应用基础研究 (PI) | Permanent Magnet Motor Control in EV |
| Low Altitude Systems and Economy Research Institute (LASERi) Seed Fund of HKUST(GZ) 低空经济研究院种子课题 (PI) | eVTOL Powertrain Systems |
| Industry Cooperation 校企合作 (PI) | eVTOL, aircraft, railway train, robotics, power grid… |